The Canadian Science Writers' Association (CSWA) was founded in 1971 by a small group of science and medical reporters who recognized their role in helping other Canadians better understand the rapid changes occurring in our world.

Today the CSWA is a national association including media professionals, communications officers in science and technology institutions, technical writers and educators - all of whom are involved in communicating science and technology to non-specialist audiences.

The CSWA fosters quality science communication, linking science and technology communicators from coast to coast. Drawing from their collective experience, CSWA members volunteer their time towards a series of programmes committed to increasing public awareness of Canadian science and technology, especially among youth.

The CSWA operates several national programmes including the annual conference, which highlights current science and technology issues, bringing together scientists, engineers, journalists, educators, youth and the general public. Held in a different city each year, the annual conference highlights local developments in science and technology and combines public forums and educational workshops to produce a serious focus on ways of communicating the importance of such developments to the Canadian public with the greatest impact.

Each year, CSWA's Science in Society Journalism Awards program offers awards that recognize excellence in Canadian science journalism in all media.

On the local level, CSWA is also involved in events including Word on the Street, environmental workshops, and monthly public meetings discussing issues and advances in Canadian science and technology.

We are journalists, public information officers in labs and universities, knowledge translation experts who work with government officials and scientists who personally want to share and explain their research to the public.

Our members are writers, but they are also editors, project managers, broadcasters, social media experts, event planners, illustrators, scientists, students and many cover every aspect of the communications field.